


Dark Heart of the Night

by Samunderthelights



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attics, Creepy new home, Established Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Light Angst, Living Together, M/M, Mystery, RS Fireside Tales, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28630008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samunderthelights/pseuds/Samunderthelights
Summary: After Lily and James were killed, Remus and Sirius decide to move out of their flat and into a bigger house because they need a family home for when Harry comes to live with them. But as soon as they move into their new home, Remus begins to change. He grows more tired, he can't stop shivering, and he can hear footsteps and voices coming from the attic.Sirius knows that it is nothing more than just the old house creaking, and that this is just Remus struggling with the death of their friends.But Remus is not convinced that that's all that it is.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 15
Collections: RS Fireside Tales Vol.3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at trying to write mystery / ghosty / spooky stuff. Whatever you want to call it. Not sure I should ever do it again, but I had fun giving it a try. And I hope it's fun to read!
> 
> A big thank you to the organisers of RS Fireside Tales for organising this Fest!
> 
> X

Cold shivers run down Remus’ spine as Sirius parks the car in the driveway. As the large, dark house looms up out of the fog, something about it feeling wrong. Something about it unnerving him.

He hadn’t mentioned this when they had come to see it though. It’s only been weeks since their best friends were murdered, weeks since Sirius was arrested. Weeks since their lives had come crashing down. Since he feared he would be left to face the world on his own.

Sirius had come back to him, and it should have made him feel better. The fact that they had gotten another chance, that they had to stay strong, for Harry’s sake, should have made him snap out of it. But since the murders, life had become a blur, and the cold shivers had not stopped.

So he had agreed to buy the house, because he knew that they would need a proper family home for when Harry would come to live with them. It felt like a big step. A good step towards picking life back up.

But as they get out of the car, his legs grow heavy, and when Sirius puts a hand on his back, he jumps up.

“It will get better with time,” Sirius reassures him, his eyes dark, tired. Lines now on his face, when there had been none just weeks ago. “This is a good thing, us moving here.”

“I know,” Remus sighs. “I’m just tired.”

Tired. Hurting. Grieving. Heartbroken.

“Let’s go in,” Sirius suggests, and Remus gives a nod, but he can feel his legs working against him. He struggles to force himself to go into the large house, something about it too big. Too cold. It sucks him dry, and all he wants to do is go back to their flat, which had been small, and not suitable for a child. But it had been warm. It was theirs.

He wants the safety, the familiarity of their own home.

“This is the best thing for Harry,” Sirius says, not failing to notice how uncomfortable his partner is. How he has wrapped his arms around himself, trying to protect himself from the outside world. From the cold and the darkness surrounding them.

“I know that. But I just don’t understand how this all…,” Remus tries, but then he just sighs.

“How it all got so messed up?” Sirius asks, as he gently caresses the back of his partner’s neck. “I don’t know, love. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it myself. But all we can do right now is try to do what’s best for that little boy.”

* * *

Remus had collapsed, not long after they had moved their things into the house, and he has spent the last days in bed with a fever. It was like all of the last weeks’ events were finally beginning to take its toll on his body, and although a ton of things still needed to happen in the house, Sirius had told him to stay in bed and sleep it off. Of course Remus hadn’t listened to him, but when he had tried to get out to help paint Harry’s room, his legs had given out, and Sirius had had to carry him back to bed.

So after that, he had stayed in bed, and he had spent most of the day trying to sleep. He would listen to Sirius move around the house, trying his best to turn it into a home. Or when Sirius was at work, he would lie there, listening to the creaking, the sounds that made him wonder if someone was there to murder him next.

He did not share these thoughts with Sirius though, because it’s an old house, and he knew that the creaking was probably nothing more than the house itself. Surely no one was hiding in the attic, waiting for a chance to take him out, when he was lying in bed, defenceless. They could have come for him days ago.

Still, as he hears the creaking upstairs again today, he feels himself break out into a cold sweat. So he gets out of bed, his legs still too weak, but he ignores the pain in his body. He ignores the panic and fear he’s feeling, as he grabs his wand, before making his way up the stairs.

Sirius has not been up to the attic though, and when Remus tries to open the door, he finds that it is locked. He knows he should try an _Alohomora_ , but as soon as he opens his mouth, he hears the sound of footsteps coming from inside the room. And just a second later, he can hear a voice whispering.

It makes him jump back, his foot catching on the first step of the stairs, and he has to grab onto the wall in order not to fall, cursing himself for letting himself get to scared.

He tries to peak through the keyhole, but he finds the room empty, and when he goes back down the stairs, he can’t help but let out a chuckle, already imagining what Sirius would say if he knew about this.

Of course the room is empty. Old houses creak, and after what had happened to their friends, it’s normal to be scared. But he can’t keep imagining things. He needs to be strong, for Sirius. For Harry.

So when Sirius comes home that night, he does not tell him about going up to the attic. He does not tell him about the creaking or the voices. He simply tells him that he is starting to feel better, ignoring the worried look on Sirius’ face.

* * *

Remus couldn’t deny that it had scared him, the way he had allowed himself to start imagining things. So he had gotten out of bed, and he had spent the next days trying his best to help Sirius fix up the house. He was still weak, and he spent more time having a cup of tea than actually helping out. But at least he had something to take his mind off things. At least it kept his mind off the footsteps, which he could still hear. That voice, which had made him wake up in the middle of the night, drenched to the bone, on more than one occasion.

“Why don’t you go take a nap?” Sirius suggests, when Remus sits down to have another cup of tea. “You look terrible, love.”

“I feel better,” Remus lies, but when Sirius flashes a knowing smile, he sighs. “I want to stay here with you.”

“What’s wrong? Other than the obvious.”

Sirius sits down with Remus, and he takes his hand, flinching when he feels just how cold, yet clammy it is.

“You seem different.”

“My best friends were murdered, Sirius. I think I have a right to not be myself,” Remus defends himself. “And moving here… it’s all too much. I don’t feel like… well, like myself. Our whole lives were ripped apart that night, so yes, I am different. I feel…,” Remus tries, but his voice gets stuck in his throat, and only when Sirius reaches out to gently wipe a tear from his cheek, does he realise that he has started crying. “It hurts,” he finally manages to bring out, not even knowing how to describe how overwhelmingly hurt and broken he feels. But when he sees the look on Sirius’ face, he knows that he does not need to put it into words. That he understands, because he feels it too.

“But you are keeping something from me,” Sirius whispers, his thumb still lingering on his partner’s cheek. “I know you, Remus. You’re scared.”

“It’s just the house.” Remus shrugs. “It’s too big, and the constant creaking…”

“What creaking?”

“The floorboards?”

Sirius stares at him with a confused look on his face, and it makes Remus shiver again.

“Surely you have heard it too?”

“No,” Sirius says, but when he sees the panic in his partner’s eyes, he sighs. “I’ll check it out. Is this upstairs?”

Remus nods, Sirius squeezing his hand tightly to let him know that it’s okay.

“I know they mentioned something about the previous owners having issues with the attic, so I’ll go up there tomorrow. See if I can get it fixed for you.”

“I thought I heard footsteps. I got scared.”

“Hey, you’re safe here,” Sirius whispers. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, do you hear me?”

Remus nods, but he can still hear that voice. He can still hear the creaking, even now. He can still feel that overwhelming sense of darkness. Of emptiness.

* * *

“What did you find?” Remus asks, when Sirius comes back down after having checked the attic. “Was someone in there?”

He is a little embarrassed for asking, because obviously no one was there. The room was locked from the outside, but still, he had to ask. He needs to know for certain.

“No one was there, Remus,” Sirius says, a small, heartbroken smile on his face. He hates seeing his partner like this, and although he knows why he is hurting, he can’t help but think that there is more to it. “But it’s an old house, and those footsteps you heard were probably just the wood, or maybe rats… maybe a bird got in. There’s a hole in the roof, so I’ll have to fix that.”

“It wasn’t a bird,” Remus mutters to himself, but then he gives a small nod. “I’m sure it was just the floorboards. But thank you for checking it out.”

“If you want to go up there, have a look around…”

“No!”

Sirius chuckles, as he takes him into his arms, trying his best to ignore the shivering. To ignore how much weight he has lost since they have moved in, and how he can feel his ribs as he pulls him close.

“No one is up there, love,” he whispers, before pressing a kiss to his neck.

“I know,” Remus sighs, “I have gone mad, haven’t I?”

“Not at all,” Sirius laughs sadly, “I am scared too. Every time I go to work, I am scared to come back and find…”

“What if we’re next?”

“He has no reason to come for us,” Sirius sighs, gently running a hand through Remus’ hair, before letting it rest on the back of his neck. “But it’s okay to be scared.”

* * *

Remus kept hearing the footsteps, and with Sirius being at work, it had nearly driven him mad. So he had gone outside, and he had started to work on the veggie patch. The previous owners had taken great care of it, but after they had left, no one had looked after it. Remus and Sirius had both loved the idea of growing their own vegetables though, so Remus had offered to fix it up so that hopefully by the time Harry would come live with them, they would have their own vegetables. Perhaps Harry could even help him with it once he was a little older.

The thought of it, that warm and loving vision, had kept Remus’ thoughts off the attic for a while. But when he gets up, and he brushes the dirt off his knees, a movement catches his eye. It makes him look up, and although it’s just the slightest of movements, he swears he can see someone moving away from the attic window.

All thoughts of the vegetable patch, of little Harry, of family, it’s all gone within a split-second. It’s replaced by pure, all-encompassing fear. The feeling so overwhelming, that it takes him minutes to move from his spot. To go inside the house and make his way up to the attic.

But once he’s there, he freezes again. Because what if he does find something? What if his gut-feeling had been right all along? What if someone is waiting for him, and he is walking into a trap?

What if he goes in there, and Sirius comes back, only to find him murdered?

That thought is what makes him turn to leave. But when he hears the voice calling out his name, his blood runs cold, and he knows that he has no choice but to go and look.

So he takes out his wand, and he carefully opens the door. Terrified of what, or who he will find. Not sure what he is expecting anymore.

But when he notices the figure standing in the corner, an evil smirk on his face. When the figures gives a little wave, he drops his wand, and he stumbles back, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

“It can’t be…”


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been almost a week since Remus had gone up to the attic, but he still hasn’t told Sirius about what he had seen. He knows what he saw, but he also knows that it couldn’t have been more than a figment of his imagination. The fever playing tricks on his mind.

So he hadn’t told him, and he had tried his best to get on with things. To force a smile onto his face, and hide the fact that he could feel himself grow weaker by the minute.

But there is no tricking Sirius. Sirius knows his partner, and he can see how tired he is. How much sicker he looks, even without the effects of the full moon. This is something different.

“I feel fine, Sirius,” Remus sighs, when once again, Sirius checks for his temperature. “Just give me time.”

“You look worse than you did last week. What if it’s something serious, huh?”

“It’s not,” Remus reassures him. “I promise.”

Sirius opens his mouth to try and convince him to see a doctor, but he has asked dozens of times, and the discussion only seems to make him more tired. So he simply sighs, before taking his cold, bony hand, and sending out a silent prayer to whoever is listening, wanting nothing more than for Remus to be his normal, happy and healthy self again.

But he knows that Remus will never be that man again, not after what happened to their friends. He’s not the same himself. He is trying his best to stay strong for Remus, but the minute he leaves the house for work, he breaks down in tears. That overwhelming feeling of grief becoming too much. The fear of losing Remus as well, of losing Harry, too much to handle. But he knows that he can’t fall apart, not when Remus is obviously not coping.

* * *

“Why don’t we go into town today?” Sirius suggests one morning. “You’ve been stuck in this place for weeks, so let’s get some fresh air, maybe get some shopping done for Harry’s room.”

“I’m not sure if I have the energy to go out.”

“You do,” Sirius tells him, worried that once he stops leaving the house, it’s the beginning of the end. “Want me to help you get dressed?”

“I can do it myself,” Remus snaps, but when he sees the hurt look on his partner’s face, he sighs. “I’m sorry. I know you are only trying to help.”

“I want you to be happy, Remus.”

“I will be.”

The words break Sirius’s heart, so he takes him into his arms, trying his hardest to blink his tears away. Not wanting him to see how much he is hurting.

“I think I would like to go into town.”

“Yes?” Sirius asks. “I think it will be good for you.”

* * *

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” a young woman asks, making the two men look up from the books they are checking out. “Sorry, I’m Sarah. You bought that house up the road, didn’t you? I used to know the couple that lived there.”

“Oh,” Sirius says, not quite sure whether they should run, or whether they should introduce themselves to her.

“Yeah, she used to be my best friend, but then when all that stuff went down… man, she just lost her mind, you know?” Sarah continues. “I swear, it was like night and day, the way she went from a happy young mum to… well, a mess, really.”

“What stuff?” Remus asks. “What happened?”

“Oh wow, they did not tell you?” Sarah asks, her cheeks getting flushed. “I shouldn’t have said anything, then. But I figured they must have mentioned it when you bought the house.”

“What happened to your friend?” Sirius asks, grabbing Remus’ clammy hand. “Should we be worried?”

“I suppose not. It was all in her mind, really. But it was a terrible thing. I should…,” Sarah says, checking her watch. “I could tell you over coffee?”

They go into the coffeeshop next door, but Sirius has no interest in his coffee, nor Remus in his tea. All they care about is what has happened in the house. In their home, which was supposed to be their forever home. A safe place not only for them, but for Harry.

“I can’t believe they didn’t tell you,” Sarah says. “Everyone in town knows about it. The way Soph just lost it…? It was heart-breaking.”

“What happened?” Sirius asks, trying his best to sound friendly and curious, but his voice comes out harsh.

“They’d been trying for a baby for years, and I guess they moved here to make a fresh start and all that, you know? And they’d been living here for two, maybe three months when she found out she was pregnant,” Sarah tells, nervously picking at the chip in her mug. “She was so happy… I don’t even know when it started. But she started to get tired, she started to hear voices…”

Sirius can feel his blood run cold, his partner’s pale face in the corner of his eye seeming even paler now that he is hearing Sarah’s story.

“I thought it was the pregnancy, you know? So we tried to help her, and then when the baby was born, she seemed to be okay for a while? She seemed happier, I guess?” Sarah continues, unaware that Remus has started shivering so bad, that he has had to let go of his tea, too nervous that he will knock it over.

“But then she got worse again. She kept talking about these voices coming from the attic,” Sarah sighs. “Of course me and Mick, her husband, we checked the place every day, but no one was there.”

“The attic?” Sirius asks, his voice shaking. “They mentioned that there was trouble with the attic, but we figured they were talking about a leak, not…”

“Not Soph seeing ghosts?” Sarah chuckles uncomfortably. “Yeah, she kept saying she saw their little boy up there. They ehm… they had a little boy, and he died in an accident. Looking back, her getting pregnant again was probably what triggered some kind of mental…”

“Did her husband ever see their son?” Remus interrupts.

“No.” Sarah shakes her head. “It was all in Soph’s head. It was heart-breaking to see, honestly. You’d see her in town, and she was like a ghost herself.”

“So what happened to her?” Sirius asks, feeling sick to his stomach, just thinking about the things Remus has been saying lately. It feels like too much of a coincidence, yet Sarah’s friend had imagined it all. So what if Remus had heard about the story somewhere, and in his current state of mind, he has made himself believe in the same ghosts?

“One night she went up there, and she tried to hurt herself,” Sarah says. “She kept saying her little boy told her to do it. So Mick put her and the baby into the car, leaving everything behind. And once they got settled into their new home, it was like nothing had ever happened. She was her old self again.”

“Was it the house?” Remus asks, but the question makes Sarah chuckle.

“No. It was just Soph. There are no ghosts in that house. Maybe rats, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you find some mould…,” Sarah laughs, “But no ghosts.”

She checks her watch again, and she sighs, a guilty look on her face.

“I shouldn’t have said anything, should I?”

“No, I’m glad you did,” Sirius quickly says. “We had no idea.”

“Well, like I said. There are no ghosts in that house. So I’m sure you’re going to love it there.”

She flashes a reassuring smile, before saying her goodbyes and leaving.

“Do you think…”

“You heard her, love,” Sirius cuts Remus off. “It was all in her friend’s mind. No one is up in the attic. I told you, didn’t I?”

“I heard them, Sirius. I heard him calling out my name, and when I went up there…”

“When was this?”

“It doesn’t matter. But I saw him.”

“Saw who?” Sirius asks, chills running up and down his spine. “Remus, who was there?”

“You wouldn’t believe me. You would think I’ve gone mad.”

“Tell me.”

Remus just shrugs, folding his arms over his chest. There are beads of sweat on his forehead, and he is obviously exhausted from this trip into town.

“Please, Remus…”

“It was just the fever,” Remus finally sighs. “It was probably nothing more than a dream.”

“Are you sure?” Sirius asks, as he gently caresses the back of his neck. “You’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Sirius had not been able to stop thinking about what Sarah had told them, so he had tried to find out more by looking for news reports. But there had been none, and he did not dare ask someone, in case they would tell him something he did not want to hear.

He can tell that something is slowly but surely draining Remus from his last bit of energy though. Because this morning when he had tried to feed him his breakfast, he had struggled to even take one bite of it, and halfway through he had fallen asleep.

When he peeks into the room hours later, Remus is still asleep. But he is tossing and turning, his t-shirt drenched with sweat and sticking to his bony chest. It kills Sirius to see his partner like this, and for a moment he considers doing what the previous owners of the house had done. Just pick up and leave, start again somewhere else.

But Remus is simply grieving for their friends, and he will get better with time. He has to.

Sirius sighs, before going over to him, and sitting down on the side of the bed. He gently runs a hand through Remus’ thinning hair, whispering his name softly, scared that if he speaks louder he will only scare him.

“Wake up, love.”

Remus opens his eyes, but for a long time he seems to be dazed, and it isn’t until Sirius leans down to kiss him that he seems to realise where he is. Who is with him.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel better.”

“Liar,” Sirius whispers, tears welling up in his eyes. “I am worried, Remus. Please talk to me. Do you want us to move back into the flat? We’ll find a way to make it work with Harry, we can…”

“No.”

“Then what is it? Is this because of what Sarah told us about her friend? Nothing was up there.”

“I saw him, Sirius.”

“Who? Her friend’s son?”

“No,” Remus sighs, pushing himself to sit up in bed. “I went up there, and I saw him. He called out my name, so I went into the attic, and he just…”

“Who? I’ve been up there, and no one is there.”

“I saw him,” Remus repeats. “I hear him, right now.”

Sirius nods, his heart breaking for his partner. Because this is not just grief. This is more. More than he can handle. But he can’t run away, he can’t take a break. So he grabs Remus’ hand, and he brings it up to his mouth to kiss it.

“Will you show me what you saw?”

“You think I’ve gone mad.”

“No, of course not,” Sirius sighs, but then he looks down at Remus’ hand in his. “But I think you need to speak to someone about this, Remus. You’re seeing things that aren’t there. So talk to someone, talk about James, about Lily…”

Even just saying their names, it makes Sirius feel so much pain that it makes him unable to speak for a long time after. But when he finally continues, Remus pulls his hand away from him.

“Harry can’t be here, not if you’re like this.”

“Then I will move out.”

“No, Remus…”

“I’m not crazy. I know what I saw!” Remus spits out, his eyes filled with fire for a moment, before they turn dark and tired again. “I’m not crazy.”

“Will you show me what you saw?”

When Remus nods, Sirius feels his heart starting to beat faster, because yes, he wants to know what Remus saw. He wants to know what it is that he had confused for someone, but what if Remus hadn’t been confused? What if Sarah’s friend hadn’t been confused? What if someone – or something – is up there?

* * *

Sirius had put his arm around Remus’ waist, terrified that he would fall down the stairs, but Remus had shoved him off, still hurt. So it had taken him the longest time, and by the time they had finally made it up to the attic, sweat was pouring down his face, but still he refused Sirius’ help.

“Love…”

“Don’t, Sirius,” Remus warns him. “I know what you’re thinking. But I am not crazy.”

Remus seems so scared, that Sirius isn’t sure who he is trying to convince, himself or Sirius. So Sirius nods, and he wraps his arms around him, ignoring his objections, and he tells him he loves him before letting go of him.

“Now show me.”

Remus’ hand is shaking as he opens the door, and Sirius almost pushes him out of the way, terrified that someone is waiting for them. But when the door is open, the room seems empty. Until he notices the man standing in the shadows, staring at them.

“But that’s…”

“I know,” Remus whispers, Sirius grabbing his hand, squeezing it tight. Needing to feel him to make sure he’s still there with him, now more than ever.

“That’s you, Remus.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Do you want to talk about it?” Remus asks, when Sirius brings him his tea the next morning. “I know you…”

“No one was up there, Remus,” Sirius says, something in his voice distant. “That story about Sarah’s friend must have gotten into our heads, and we just… I’m not sure what that was. But it was not real.”

“You saw him. It. Whatever it was. I know you saw it.”

“It was not real,” Sirius repeats. “Now drink up your tea.”

Without another word, Sirius leaves the room, leaving Remus feeling like he truly must have gone mad. Because he had seen the fear in Sirius’ eyes. He had heard him tossing and turning all night. Surely he can’t have imagined all that, just because of a story they were told. He had heard the footsteps long before they met Sarah. He had seen the figure – himself – before they had heard the story of Sarah’s friend.

But he feels so weak, so drained, that he isn’t even sure whether this is true or not. Did he see someone up in the attic? What if he did make it up after hearing Sarah’s story? He can feel a weight starting to press down on his chest, the world turning to black not long after

The first thing he hears when he wakes up is Sirius’ voice whispering his name. His hands gently caressing his chest, a scared look on his face.

“What happened?”

“You fainted,” Sirius whispers, something in Remus’ chest still feeling wrong. Too tight. “You dropped your tea. I used a healing spell, but…”

“How bad is it?”

“You tell me.”

Remus looks down, and his chest looks as it always has done, but he can still feel a burning sensation. He ignores the feeling though, and he pulls his partner down into his arms.

“I’m worried about you.”

“Did you truly not see anything?” Remus asks, almost too scared to ask. Too scared to hear the truth.

“I did,” Sirius sighs. “But it was not real, and you know it. There is only one of you, there is not some kind of… dark, evil twin of you hiding there, Remus. We were tired, influenced by stories… we’re emotional…”

“And what about what happened to Sarah’s friend?”

“She was grieving too.”

Remus kisses the top of Sirius’ head, not sure what else he can say. Not sure what’s real and what’s not anymore. Not sure how much more of this he can take.

* * *

Remus has managed to drag himself out of bed to go out to the veggie patch, but he can’t stop thinking about the way he has been feeling since moving here. That constant fear, the confusion. That feeling of the energy being drained from him. It makes him feel scared of himself, because how can Sirius and Harry rely on him, when he doesn’t even know what’s real? What if one day it makes him lash out and hurt someone?

The thought of getting into the car and driving off when Sirius is asleep has more than once crossed his mind. Surely Sirius will forgive him for taking the car. Surely he will understand that he is only trying to protect him?

“What are you doing out here?”

Sirius’ voice makes Remus snap out of his thoughts, and he tries his best to flash a smile. Sirius of course able to see right through it.

“I have spoken to Sarah,” Sirius sighs, as he sits down with him.

“Why?”

“Because I think it’ll be good for you if we go talk to her friend. See what she has to say about things.”

“What if she doesn’t want to talk about it?”

“She does.” Sirius says, “I have spoken to her, and she has agreed to meet us.”

“When?”

“Any time you want.”

“Today?” Remus asks, ashamed that it makes him feel hopeful.

Sirius takes his hand, flashing a small, hesitant smile, before giving a nod.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Remus had almost asked Sirius to turn back around at least a dozen times, but he knows that this is something they have to do. Because perhaps this will give them the closure they need. The explanations.

Even though he knows this, by the time Sirius parks the car, he feels so tired - so empty - that he can’t bring himself to get out. So Sirius reaches out, and he gently caresses his arm, his neck, his hand. Anything to reassure him that it’s going to be okay.

“I’m scared.”

“I know,” Sirius whispers. “But let’s see what she has to say. Then we’ll see…”

“If I’m mad?”

“Stop it.”

* * *

Sophie had greeted them with a polite smile, trying her best to hide her nerves, and she had led them out to the backyard. She had served them a cup of tea, her little girl sitting in the grass, playing with her toys.

It had almost been like a meeting between friends, but Remus could feel the nervous tension. He could see how uncomfortable she was, even if she was trying her best to fake a smile.

“Sarah told you what happened, didn’t she?” she finally asks, leaving behind the small talk about the weather.

“She did.” Sirius nods. “I’m sorry about your son.”

“Thank you,” Sophie says, staring down into her cup. For a moment it looks like she isn’t about to say another word to them, but then she sighs, and she sets down her tea. “You have seen if, haven’t you? That’s why you’re here.”

“Not your son,” Sirius quickly says.

“No, but that thing… it’s there, in the house…”

“What thing?” Remus asks, not sure if he wants to know. “A ghost?”

“Not a ghost. It’s something dark, it’s…,” Sophie searches for the words, before putting a hand on her stomach. “It’s in there. You can feel it, right? When you walk through the doors, it’s like something latches onto you, and it just… I don’t know,” she sighs. “It doesn’t stop, not until you leave.”

“I’m sorry for asking, but how can you be sure that it was something in the house?” Sirius asks. “You were grieving, you were emotional…”

“Look at your partner,” Sophie says, not letting Sirius’ words get to her. “You can see what it’s doing to him, can’t you? It did the same thing to me. It bled me dry, Mister Black. If my husband had not taken me away from there, I would be dead right now.”

“Let’s say there really is something in that house, then why can’t I feel it?” Sirius asks. “Or why are there no reports of other people…”

Sophie chuckles, shaking her head.

“The people who lived there before us, they disappeared,” she explains. “The couple before that? The husband killed himself. Before that? A woman who was described as the town’s ‘nutjob’.”

“I checked the records, and none of this was reported anywhere.”

“It’s not a pretty story, is it?” Sophie shrugs. “They refuse to tear the place down, so they keep on selling it. And every single family who lives there, they get ripped apart by it. So my advice to you? Leave while you still can. Because whatever that thing is…”

“Have you tried to get rid of it?” Remus asks, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

“My husband has tried every spell there is. He has brought in every single one of his friends to help. But this thing, it’s pure evil. It sucks you dry, and it won’t stop until you’re dead.”

Sophie’s words make Remus shiver, but when he looks at his partner, he can tell that he isn’t sure what to believe. Not sure whether this is just a ghost story you would tell around a campfire, and the woman has made herself believe in it because she can’t face the reality.

“Please get out while you still can.”

* * *

Remus had tried to talk to Sirius about what Sophie had told them, over and over again. But Sirius had shrugged it off, telling him that the woman had been grieving. Little did he know that Sirius had called in sick for work, and instead he had gone around looking for help, asking people if they knew what the ‘spirit’ or ‘shapeshifter’ could be. But every spell and suggestion they would give him, he had already tried. Every potion they gave him to give to Remus the same. And in the end he was still left with no answers, and a partner who was starting to disappear in front of his eyes.

Tonight Remus had tried to bring it up again, but Sirius had snapped at him. Giving him the choice to either get in the car and leave now, or stop going on about it. Although Remus knew that Sirius hadn’t meant it as harsh as it had come out, it had still hurt. So it had kept him up, and when he hears his own voice calling out his name again, he quietly gets out of bed.

His legs feel like they weigh a ton, and he has to grab onto everything along the way, too scared that he will fall otherwise. But somehow he manages to make his way up the stairs. Out of breath, and sweat pouring down his face, but determined to end this once and for all.

He pushes open the door, his other self greeting him with a grin.

A blast of light knocking him to the ground.

* * *

It’s a loud bang like thunder that makes Sirius sit up in bed, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He doesn’t even have to look next to him to know that Remus is gone. So he reaches for his wand, and although he was still asleep seconds ago, he doesn’t hesitate to get out of bed and run up the stairs.

But when he finds two Remuses sitting on the floor, both looking dazed, he recoils. Because last time the creature in the attic had looked wrong somehow. There had been subtle differences that had made him look too dark, too mean. But as he looks at the two men tonight, he can’t see the differences. Both faces are grey and tired, their eyes bloodshot. Their lips chapped, and there is even the same drop of blood running down their cheek.

“Remus…”

Both men look up, and when he raises his wand, neither of them flinches.

“Kill him!” the Remus on the right side of the room orders. “Please.”

Sirius points his want to the man on the left, but he can’t get himself to hurt him. Even if this is some kind of evil spirit pretending to be the man he loves, he can’t get himself to hurt him. To cause Remus – any version of him- pain. Kill him.

“You know me,” the man on the right pleads. “Sirius… do this to save me. Please.”

Sirius hesitantly steps up to the Remus sitting on the left, and he ever so carefully touches his shoulder. Wanting – needing – to feel him. To have some kind of reassurance. But as he does this, the other man’s voice screeches through the attic.

“Kill him!”

Remus looks up at him, and they share a look, one that tells Sirius everything he needs to know. So he grabs him by the arm, before pulling him up to his feet, and placing himself in between him and the screeching spirit.

He casts a Patronus, the creature by now looking nothing like the real Remus, but more like a mixture of all the people it must have once pretended to be. The all-encompassing darkness it emits makes Sirius want to drop his wand and run, but he can feel Remus standing behind him, shivering, too weak to run. So he knows that he can’t give up, not now. Not ever.

“Hold on to me, okay?”

“I can’t,” Remus whispers, but when Sirius looks over his shoulder, and he sees the panic in his eyes, he knows that he has to try.

“Please let this work,” Sirius mutters to himself, before casting a _Crucio_. He doesn’t wait to see the result of it, before picking Remus up into his arms, and carrying him down the stairs. Out of the house, where he sets him down, before turning back to the house.

“I’m sorry about this, love,” he whispers, before casting an _Incendio_. Within seconds, the house is set alight, and Sirius wraps his arms around Remus who is shivering and sobbing quietly.

“What about Harry’s things?”

“He doesn’t need them. But he does need you, Remus. I should have listened to you,” Sirius sighs, clinging tighter onto his partner, fully aware of how close he had come to losing him tonight. “I am so sorry.”

“What was that thing?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think it was human?” Remus asks, as Sirius leads him away from the burning house, towards the car.

“Perhaps it was. Once upon a time.”

“Do you think it’s gone?”

“I sure hope so,” Sirius chuckles nervously. “Are you okay?”

“I will be.” Remus nods, already feeling better.

He takes one final look at the house, before getting into the car.

“How did you that it was me?” he asks, and Sirius takes his hand, flashing a small smile. “It looked just like me.”

“I’d know you anywhere, love. Now come on, let’s get out of here.”

**Author's Note:**

> My prompt for this story was :  
>  _'When your tristful past is often haunting your mind, then you will look less human and more ghost!'_


End file.
